Mashrafe praises all rounder Shakib

Dhaka, Feb 29 (Cricketnmore): Bangladeshi star cricketer Shakib Al Hasan has been out of sorts in the last couple of matches but skipper Mashrafe bin Mortaza says he never had any doubt about the all-rounder.

Mashrafe lauded Shakib's effort with both the bat and the ball against Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium here on Sunday, a news agency reported.

Shakib scored a gritty 32 off 34 balls in a crucial partnership with Sabbir Rahman before bagging two wickets to help Bangladesh earn their first ever Twenty20 International win over Sri Lanka.

The 28-year-old had scored just 3 against India in the opener, before being dismissed for 13 against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the following match. He took three wickets in those two matches.

In the first match against India, he fluffed an easy catch at point to let Rohit Sharma off. Rohit then went on to smash a match-winning innings. Shakib, however, took a fine catch at the same position to see the back of stand-in Lankan captain Angelo Mathews on Sunday.

"I actually think of Shakib as a human being, not as an alien. Rough patches will come. It feels good to see him step up. He is one of the best players in our team," Mashrafe said.

"He has always done what is required for the team and is still at it. He may not always succeed. We also want him to always do well. But at the end of the day, he, too, is a human being and can make mistakes."

Agency.

---